The Urban Oarsman rows to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival August 22nd to 25th, 2013.

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The Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival runs at the end of August every year at Granville Island.

I show my wooden clinker lifeboat, “Snowdrop” at the festival every year.  This year I decided to commute to the festival by rowing instead of driving.  The weather cooperated on Thursday August 22nd and Saturday August 24th.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Wednesday, August 21st, 2013.  Snowdrop at the Festival.  Her signal flags spell out her name.  She is berthed between the steam tug “Master” and the one-half scale Gostad ship replica “Munin”.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

“Fred” tender to the yacht Winifred.  A pretty little clinker rowboat.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

The Yacht Tsona from Victoria arriving Wednesday afternoon.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Thursday morning, August 22nd.  Gwragedd Annwn is on the beach at Hollyburn Sailing Club.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

There is very little wind as I head out to False Creek and the Wooden Boat Festival.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

The water is always choppy in the maelstrom with the outgoing tide.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

A tug heading into Burrard Inlet.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Siwash Rock, 9:11 in the morning.  Is there enough water to circumnavigate?

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Current flowing through the gap between Siwash Rock and the Seawall.  The current always seems to be flowing in, no matter if the tide is comming in or going out.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

The sun rising over Siwash Rock.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

One of the drying rocks that line the West Shore of Stanley Park.  You have to keep quite far off shore to avoid them.  They are marked on the charts and my GPS does show them.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Another drying rock off of the Teahouse.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Drying rocks off of Ferguson Point.
These rocks are why you cannot just row along the shore.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

A deadhead is a waterlogged log that is floating upright with only a small part of it showing.  This one was floating off of the pool.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

A photo of the deadhead with an oar in the picture for scale.  The log is about 18″ across.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

I found a boat bumper floating off the beach.  Swagg!! I lent it out during the festival.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

A seal following me, looking to steal a fish from me, but, the joke is on him as I am not fishing.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Tour boat comming out of False Creek.  I wonder do they really see whales?

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Passing under the Burrard Street Bridge.  I am entering on the south side of the channel.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Tender “Fred”, “Winifred” and “Prima Pacifica” at the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival Docks.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

“Tsona”, her tender, “Thelonius” and “Sunrise”.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

“Thelonius” has a pretty clinker tender too.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Lunch time for the Urban Oarsman.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Leaving the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival for the row home.  The dragon boat is paddling in as I am rowing out.  There is always a lot of small boat activity in False Creek.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

MV Constitution, a paddlewheel tour boat enters False Creek.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

MV Constitution going under the Burrard Street Bridge.  By listening to channel 12 on my VHS radio, I knew that she was on a tour and when she would enter False Creek.  All of the commercial traffic speaks to Vancouver Harbour Traffic on that station.  A good station to listen to when rowing.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

A life guard rowing in for the evening.  His boat is about 12′ long. plywood clinker build.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

There was a lot of colour in the sky over the Planetarium.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Sunset.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

The freighter’s lights begin to show at twilight.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

The West Vancouver Shoreline begins to sparkle in the twilight.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Rowing around Siwash Rock in the twilight.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

The West Vancouver shoreline is getting closer.  Almost home at Hollyburn Sailing Club.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

I Leave the Hollyburn Sailing Club at 9:20am, the morning of Saturday, August 24th.  There is a bit more wind than when I left on Thursday morning.  It is much more cloudy too.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Looking South towards Stanley Park.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

I stop to take a picture of the spume at the edge of the tide line.  The black specks seem to be some type of insect on the foam.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Close-up view of the foam.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Siwash Rock in the morning.  Is there enough water to row around it?

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Lots of water in the gap this morning.  Not much of a current passing through.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

There are half a dozen of these puppies lurking just below the surface along the West shore of Stanley Park.  You have to keep well off of the seawall to miss all of them.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

A lurking rock with a seagull.  There is another one, less than 18″ below the surface at the red arrow.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Another rowing hazard, just awash.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

The “Drip”, a sculpture in Vanier Park.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

A pretty little whitehall style boat sailing out of False Creek.  Sadly, he was not part of the Wooden Boat Festival.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

“Deerleap” with her signal flags flying.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

“Double Eagle” and her tender.  The owner is looking for a small, 10′ or so, clinker inboard to use for a tender.  If you know of one, let me know and I will pass the information on.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Wooden Sailboats on the dock.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

The Munin, an one-half scale “Gostad” ship replica.  My Clinker Turner Lifeboat, “Snowdrop” is tied to the dock behind her and beside the bow of the Steam Tug “Master”.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Gwragedd Annwn tied to the dock between “Deerleap” and “Double Eagle”.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Bow shot of Gwragedd Annwn tied to the dock.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

I was volunteering at the Vancouver Wooden Boat Society main table in the Market Court Yard.  This fellow seemed to be one with the pigeons.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

“Ryan’s Hope” is another epic rowboat.  Two years ago as part of a charitable fund raising campain, she was rowed to the festival from Vancouver Island.  The owner had hoped this year to row to the festival from Harrison Lake, but the timeing did not work out.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Gwragedd Annwn leaving the festival at dusk.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Heading out under the Burrard Street Bridge, heading home.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Passing by Sunset Beach.  Now I know why it got that name…

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

The Sunset on Saturday August 24th, 2013 at 8:00pm.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Twenty minutes later is is getting quite dark.  Another night crossing.  I do have a white light to show in case another boat comes close.  I stay quite far off of Stanley Park to miss the rocks.

The Urban Oarsman rows Gwragedd Annwn to the Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival 2013

Here is a surprise at Hollyburn Sailing Club.  As I was leaving, I heard a rustle.  It turns out to be a skunk caught in a crab trap.  The couple that owned the trap had left the bait, a piece of chicken in the trap while they had dinner at the club.  This is what it looked like when I left, the skunk eating the chicken.  I do not know how the couple got the skunk out, if they ever did.

Happy rowing and do not leave bait in your crab traps!!

The Urban Oarsman

Mike